Artificial fuel.



UNITED STATES Patented February 2, 1904;

PATENT OEEIcE.

GEORGE T HOWARD, OF LAGRANGE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WVILLIAMJ. APPLEGATE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ARTIFICIAL FUEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 751,172, dated February2, 1904. Application filed June 1'7, 1903. Serial No. 161,846. (N0specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE T. HOWARD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lagrange, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Artificial Fuel, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to artificial fuel and the manufacture thereof,and has for its object to provide a commercial article of this characterthat may be largely substituted for the natural product.

A further object is to produce an artificial fuel that will notdisintegrate under the action of atmospheric changes and will ordinarilyretain its original form' imparted in the operation of molding orpressing the same into briquets of suitable commercial proportions.

Another object is to so compound and mechanically unite the differentingredients into one homogeneous mass that the briquets will not breakup into small particles, but will be gradually consumed in theirentirety, thus increasing the lasting and economical qualities.

The ingredients employed in the composition are loam or other suitableearthy matter, coalscreeningsthat is, the fine waste that is usuallyfound in the dumps around minessawdust, petroleum, oil-meal, paraffin,milk of lime, solution of glue, and tar.

In the preparation of the'composition, taking one hundred parts as abasis, the proportion of the ingredients given is as follows: loam,fifty-five parts; coal-screenings, twentyfive parts; sawdust, fiveparts; petroleum,three parts; oil-meal, three parts; parafin, one part;milk of lime, three parts; solution of glue, one part, and tar fourparts.

It will be obvious that of the above composition loam constitutes aboutone-half, while dry comminuted fuel, such as coal-screenings andsawdust, constitutes about thirty one-hundredths-that is to say, betweenone-third and onefourth-the remainder of the one hundred parts beingdivided between oily material, such as parafiin, oil-meal, and tar;alkaline material, such as milk of lime, and adhesive material, such asglue and tar. Of course a mathematically-exact definition is not alwayspossible in such. a case, as some oily matters may be more or lessadhesive, and some very adhesive matters, such as tar, are more or lessoily; but the preponderating characteristics will prevent anymisunderstanding, especially as a slight difference in proportion willnot affect the identity of my composition, so that it matters littlewhether a small quantity of one ingredient be considered as belongingunder one head or the other.

The process followed in compounding is to take the first threeingredients-the earthy matter, the coal-screenings, and the sawdust" andthoroughly mix the same together. The next three ingredients-petroleum,oil-meal, and paraflinare then mixed together and heated to a degreethat will make the admixture complete, which is then added to the threefirst compounded ingredients and thoroughly agitated and workedtogether. The milk of lime is added next, then the solution of glue, andfinally the tar is added in a heated state and the whole worked togetheruntil the chemical admixture is complete and the mass assumes a granularform, when it is in proper condition to be molded or compressed intocommercial briquets.

The tar is the principal binding element, which, together with the gluematter, makes a perfect binder and supplies the necessary cohesivequalities to prevent disintegration of the mass as a whole or thefractional parts thereof.

The earthy matter constitutes the body of the brick, the comminuted dryfuel and oily materials supply material for combustion, ,the alkalinematerial acts as a hardener forth? oily fii'fierial, and the adhesivematerials, aided in some degree by the oily materials thus heated, bindthe brick together.

This fuel, the product of the composition set forth, burns verygradually, produces but little smoke, and gives out an intense heat likeunto that of the better grades of anthracite coal.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is I 1. A composition for artificial fuel consistingof the following ingredients in substantially the proportions stated:loam fifty-five parts, coal-screenings twenty-five parts,saw dust fiveparts, petroleum three parts, oilmeal three parts, parafiin one part,115 lime three parts, solution of glue one part i a rid tar four parts,as set forth.

2. A composition for artificial fuel about one-half of which is loam,from one-fourth to one-third dry comminuted fuel and the remainderdivided between oily material, adhesive material and hardening material,substantially as set forth.

3. The process of making briquets of fuel which consists in mixingmineral and vegetable oily matter and heating the same; then mixing thismixture with a mixture of comminuted fuel and earthy matter; then addinghardening alkaline material and binding material and finally molding themass into briquets substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE T. HOWARD.

Witnesses:

L. M. FREEMAN, L. B. COUPLAND.

